Why do cemeteries in New Orleans and the vicinity have above-ground crypts and mausoleums? Why can't they bury coffins underground like in many places elsewhere?
by 
Egao No Genki
ANSWERS: 3
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The highest point in the city is only 6 ft. above sea level, which makes for watery graves. Fearful that rotting corpses caused epidemics, the city limited ground burials in 1830. Mausoleums built on soggy cemetery grounds became the final resting place for generations. Beyond providing a macabre tourist attraction, these "cities of the dead" serve as a reminder of the Big Easy's vulnerability to flooding. The reason water rushes into graves is because New Orleans sits atop a delta made of unconsolidated material that has washed down the Mississippi River.
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The water table is rather high. Once buried, you're supposed to stay that way, not pop back up for a look see. :)
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High water table. Digging below a couple of feet in New Orleans would mean an instant pond, for lack of a better desriptor. Hence above-ground crypts.
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